Monday, December 31, 2007

Among the many "by-products" of being a SU demo is that I have oodles of leftover materials from years of workshops, make-and-takes, and stamp camps. I store the original cards along with all the cut materials to duplicate it in Ziplok bags. I have supplies cut and bagged for hundreds of cards. Provided I still have the stamps, these are a breeze to put together.

In theory, anyway. Usually, the original is in sore need of an update. Take the one below, which is from at least four years ago (I made it when I was a new demo). Definitely due for an update:

To the rescue -- old faithful Print Pattern, which was still out on my table from yesterday's card. See? Case in point. A little Print Pattern can make anything look better! (And a white gel pen, scallop punch, and a few extra layers, lol!)

I pulled out all the Valentine's Day leftovers last night to make some cards for my friend June, who last month invited me to help her meet the demand for the single cards she sells at two area coffee shops. I met June at one of those shops this morning to do a little trade. I gave her 14 Valentine's Day cards to sell, and she gave me almost $120 for a bunch of cards that have already sold. The best thing is that the ones I gave her back in mid-November were craft show extras that were just sitting in my basement collecting dust, so this was like free money!

Hmmm, a couple more months of this could pay for a nice set of Copics ;)

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Once upon a time, Print Pattern was my go-to stamp for jazzing up a background. I used to tell my customers it was an instant card medic and could rescue even the ugliest of cards. As with so many wonderful things, something "new" comes along and takes its place. I did a rescue of my own here and saved Print Pattern from further neglect ;)

I owe a friend a make-up class using the True Friend stamp set (how great is it that the set made the new catalog?!). Since I wasn't thrilled with a couple of my cards from the fall class, I'm playing around with new ideas. She won't like the fuss of tying the ribbon through the half-circles or the paper piercing, but I do! (I can leave those off for her.) I used Julee Tilman's awesome Mojo Monday sketch from Christmas Eve. She always has such neat and original sketches ... check her out!

[ETA: I can't take credit for the white gel pen dots on the Print Pattern background. Sorry I can't give credit either ... I don't remember where I first saw it ...]

Friday, December 28, 2007

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas (those who celebrate it, anyway)! Today's project is a short and sweet one. The image is stamped on dp in Chocolate chip craft ink, then clear embossed. I stamped a second image in Old Olive craft ink, clear embossed, trimmed out the flowers and popped them up on dimensionals onto the first image.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

... to the next holiday. Not that I'm tired of Christmas, just tired of making Christmas things. This one is for Jen del Muro's Sketch For You to Try this week.

The heart image is from Time Well Spent. The block of sentiments is from the soon-to-be-retired So Many Sayings hostess set. I tried to get a picture that shows all the sparkle, but the dreary, overcast sky in Virginia isn't helping a whole lot. I used a clear Spica to add sparkle on the heart outline, the flower on the heart, on the tiny line of hearts in the sentiment block, and again on the letters L O V E in the sentiment block.

For the background, I ran Very Vanilla through the Cuttlebug using the Textile folder. (I did this in two pieces - the seam is under the ribbon.) I sponged Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, and Chocolate Chip lightly on the raised portions, then added VersaMark to the raised portions and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

Do not laugh at my attempt at adding faux stitching with the All in a Row set!

I'm suffering some serious blog withdrawal ... from my own as well as everyone else's. Can't wait for some normalcy to return after the holidays, so I can get back to daily uploads and so I can see what everyone else is up to as well!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Sweet! I finally got to stamp for fun last night! The color combo comes from this week's Color Challenge on SCS -- Wild Wasabi, Elegant Eggplant, and So Saffron.

I needed to keep it quick, so I pulled out Sweet Shapes for its simple, but fun images. I also kept the stamping to a minimum. For no particular reason, the card is an unusual size -- a diminutive 4 3/4" x 3 5/8." I didn't set out with that size in mind. It just happened that my elements looked a little better on a sligthly smaller canvas.

On a different note, does anyone have a paper cutter they absolutely love? I feel like I've been around the world looking for just the right cutter. I want something ACCURATE (of course), something with measurements marked at least to 1/8" inch increments, even better if it's to 1/16" inch increments, and something a full 12" x 12" (i.e. no portable things with swing-out arms). It needs to be safe and it needs to be heavy-duty. I'd like to cut through at least 3-5 sheets of 80-pound card stock at a time (with only one pass). It needs to handle a full-size sheet of card stock and a tiny 1" x 1" piece with equal aplomb. Is there such a one-stop cutter?

My favorite Fiskars desktop rotary cutter has always left a few things to be desired. I tried the Carl rotary cutter a few years ago, and maybe I just got a bad one, but I can make a straigter cut blindfolded and drunk. And my most recent acquisition, a heavy-duty Martin-Yale guillotine-style cutter (which just arrived a few days ago), isn't working out either, for various reasons. Sue, if you're reading this, ya want it? (You mentioned wanting to replace yours.)

Monday, December 17, 2007

I'm still working on Christmas cards and teacher gifts ... anyone else feeling the pinch? Christmas is NEXT WEEK. Ack!!

I'm pulling out an old project to show you today. I made a bunch of these little magnet tins a couple of years ago for a craft show. The little snowman comes from the old Tags & More stamp set, and is still one of my favorite individual images ever. He's too cute and just seems to be the pefect size for so many projects. There's a piece of dp in the back of the tin, the snowman is popped up on at least three of the old double-thick dimensionals, the "snow" is from the Department 56, wide organdy is tied around the perimeter, and last a button magnet is adhered to the back.

This last one was my favorite. I made three of them, using the different images from the It's a Girl Thing set. The other two were shoes and purses (I think?). Anyway, they were so cute and I thought would be perfect for a tween/teen locker.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Hi everyone, congratulations to Jennifer of just4funcrafts. She is the winner of the blog candy! Thanks to everyone for playing. I enjoyed reading everyone's comments about how they get into the Christmas spirit!

Jennifer's comment was a great one, too:

The best thing is taking time to do a RAK (random act of kindness) in the middle of a crazy season when its least expected. The smile that is produced on the recipients face is the best thing about this time of year. it makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thanks, Jennifer, for the great idea! Check out her blog (link above), too. Fabulous stuff! And a store, too. I especially like all the alterable goodies. Jennifer, I think I'll be in touch with you for more than just blog candy!

Friday, December 14, 2007

It's (finally) beginning to look like Christmas around here. I was pulling out some decorations this afternoon, and came across this framed collage I made last year. The inspiration comes 100% from a piece of framed art that Ali Edwards did last year and featured on her blog. You can see hers here.

This was so easy to make I ended up doing a dozen or more and gave them as gifts last year. The frame was a Dollar Tree piece of art that I dismantled. The squares of Holiday Thyme paper are punched with the square punch and then arranged quilt-style. A few little stamped sections for variety, and that's it. It was a little boring once I assembled it, so I added the script-style words around the outside of the mat.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

I'm using lots of new (or new-to-me) stuff today. The new Ginger Blossom patterned paper from the Stampin' Up! preview catalog is absolutely scrumptious. I love, love, LOVE it!

The sentiments come from the current hostess set So Many Sayings. Until now, it was still unmounted. I was waiting to see if I'd actually use it.

Last, the card base is made from SU's textured paper. The textured paper was one of those items that kept getting dropped from my orders in favor of other things. Not anymore. I'm totally hooked. It adds so much to the card with no extra work. I've always loved the Bazzill paper for its texture. Now I can have texture and my trusty 48-plus colors. Way to go, Stampin' Up!

I stamped the sentiment in Ruby Red craft ink, then cut apart the individual sayings. The fabric flower comes from the Pretties kit. I dyed it using an Aqua Painter and Groovy Guava ink (a drop from the re-inker). I also sponged the edges of all the designer paper pieces for a little extra definition.

If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out my blog candy in celebration of 10K hits. It's in the previous post. You have until Saturday morning, 9 am EST, to enter.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Woo-hoo! I've been keeping an eye on my counter recently, waiting to pass that 10,000 mark. Today is the day! THANKS to all of you for visiting, and especially for leaving such kind and thoughtful comments. You have been such an encouragement to me :)

How about some blog candy to celebrate?* one new, unmounted Holiday Blocks stamp set (this was a Stampin' Up! mini-catalog hostess appreciation set a while back)* one package of red adornaments fun fibers by EK Success* shimmer shapes glittered chipboard (3 trees, 2 ornaments) by ScrapWorks* two velvety, fabric poinsettia flowers (source unknown)

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (click on the tiny word "comments" down below) and tell me your favorite way to get in the holiday spirit. Is it putting up the tree? Christmas music? Baking cookies? Parties? For me, I think it's setting up my Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" snow village.

You have until Saturday morning (12/15) to enter. I'll do a random drawing at roughly 9 am EST. Feel free to crawl out of the woodwork, even if you've never commented before! Can't wait to hear from you :)

Just a quick little 3x3 for this week's color challenge at SCS. It's an interesting one: Rose Red, Certainly Celery, and ... ready for this? ... Pumpkin Pie! I wouldn't have thought to throw that Pumpkin Pie in there, but wow, what a fun combo this turned out to be!

I was inspired to glitter up the chipboard letters by Kristina Werner's Make-A-Card-Monday video this week. Be sure to check it out! You'll see I went with a short sentiment, only two letters. I'd like to say it's because the card is small. But really? I have a hard time parting with my chipboard letters. You only get one of each letter (per font) in the Stampin' Up package! Lotsa pressure to get it just right. Anyone else tend to hoard theirs?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Like everyone else in blogland, I've been super busy trying to finish up a bunch of different projects ... Christmas cards, teacher gifts, and a lot of other stuff that's not quite ready to post here.

But I hate not having something new to show you, so here's a recent card from my "not bad enough to trash, but not good enough to post" pile. I can't put my finger on what I don't like/what's missing (I guess if I could, then I could fix it). Part of it is that I'm never quite sure where to start when the paper pattern is so big and bold. Whatever it is, who cares ... in a pinch it'll do for a post! Enjoy :)

I used one of Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday sketches for this one. (She's got a new one up as of yesterday. You have until Sunday evening to enter. Give it a try!)

The background paper is by Autumn Leaves. I found a pack of 20 coordinating papers (4 each of 5 designs, I think) on the clearance rack at my Target for only $2.38. Pretty good deal!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

I picked up this roll of wrapping paper at Target the other day. The colors are a perfect match for Sage Shadow, Soft Sky, Bravo Burgundy, and Very Vanilla, so I was really happy with how well this matching card came out!

I filled in the snowflake-stamped background panels with dots of clear Stickles for a little extra sparkle and dimension. Just got my hands on some Stickles earlier this week while I was out helping Santa fill my stocking ;) Had to play with them, of course! I also popped up the three sage backround panels on dimensionals. It really made a big difference!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

I usually dread making kids cards, but today I was excited because I just found this adorable little astronaut guy by A Muse half-price at my [not-so-]local stamp store earlier this week. Isn't he darling?

I trimmed out and popped up the astronaut, and then bent his legs and arms a little so it looks like he's walking toward you. The "A" initial on his chest is something I added for personalization. The inside reads, "Happy Birthday. Hope your day is out of this world!"

Friday, December 7, 2007

Yes, I'm still playing with the Spiral Bouquet set by Papertrey Ink. It's so fun!

I actually created this for a challenge that My Favorite Things was holding to select their guest designer for January. I really had no intention of entering, but at the last minute, decided it would be fun to try. The challenge was to use an ATC (Artist Trading Card) to create a full-size card. (For information on ATC's, go here.)

After I uploaded my ATC-turned-card, I checked out all the other entries, and let's just say, it's good I looked after I uploaded instead of before, because I probably would have been way too intimidated to put mine up had I seen the other ones first. There are some amazing entries. If my link doesn't work, check them out in the SCS gallery by doing a search on keyword: MFGD01. (That's zero and one on the end.) They're going to have a guest designer each month, so be sure to check it out if you're interested!

I took advantage of the designer paper sale Stampin' Up ran last month, and stocked up on a bunch of new designs. The papers on this card all come from a pack called Le Jardin. Love the colors. On the main image, I inked the flowers and stems, then kissed them with an uninked Canvas background stamp to get the textured look.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

I used my new Spiral Bouquet set from Papertrey Ink again. The set is designed as a two-step set ... each image has a solid, shadow stamp and a separate spiral, line-art stamp that can be layered on top to add detail.

I thought this particular line-art detail stamp would make a nice flourish to frame something. Here I framed the "i miss you" sentiment, but I think it would also work to frame an image. Also, if you stamp this image end-to-end, first facing left, then facing right, and so on, you get a wonderful border. Because the stamps are clear polymer on acrylic blocks, you can see through everything for near-perfect placement without the use of a stamp positioner. Gotta love clear sometimes!

Behind the brads that make the flower centers, I added 1/4" Basic Gray circles for a little extra oomph. I got the idea to do this from Beate Johns a while back.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

SCS's color challenge this week is Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive. I used a Penny Black stamp called Passion. The Celery designer prints paper helped this card come together in record time.

For the main image, I colored the stamp with the Summer Sun and Old Olive markers. On the edges of the small flowers, I added a little More Mustard (using a marker). For the larger flowers, I added a more subtle hint of Mustard by using a sponge dauber just around the edges, and then filled in a few areas with the More Mustard watercolor crayon. I wanted the flowers to have a little more depth.

To get the embossed look along the edge of the main panel, I cut a smaller piece of chipboard, centered it over the main image, ran it through the Cuttlebug, then went online and ordered some rectangle Nestabilities ;) (Seriously, I did order them!)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

I used my new Spiral Bouquet stamp set from Papertrey Ink for this card. This set mysteriously made its way into my shopping cart while I was buying my circle nestabilities ;) I love it! [Sorry for the black card against the dark background. I'll try to get a better photo.]

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Boy, do I get the sidetracked award! For a month, I have remembered and then promptly forgotten to get my daughter's birthday thank-yous made and sent out. Her party was on November 3rd. It's TIME. (It's past time.)

After explaining that we couldn't buy five of the adorable Jolee's Cinderellas at Michael's because they were $4.99 each, we finally settled on some inexpensive princess stickers. I was highly skeptical I could make anything remotely cute, but at this point, as long as they got done, I didn't care a whit what they looked like.

Go figure, they turned out kinda cute! [I'm convinced it's because I used my new Nestabilities dies that just came in the mail today (!!!). They make anything look better, ya know?]

I needed 5 thank-yous, but only had 4 of the large princess trio stickers, so I did a second design that I actually like even better: